In This Issue
300 ppi
Survey
Bio
Blog
Calendar
Client List
Past e.Newsletters
Sphere Panoramics
Just recently added more images to my website. Check it out.
University of Georgia
Guest
Lecturer, September 2009
Speaking on business practices for the freelancer.
University of Nations, Kona, Hawaii
Guest Lecturer, Feb 2010
Teaching Lighting, Portraiture and Business Practices in School of
Photography program.
Reinhardt College, Waleska, Georgia
Adjunct Professor, Spring 2010
Teaching photojournalism to the undergraduate communications students.
Come Along
October 7, 2009
I guess you just had to be there—is something we say when we fall short of capturing the story in words alone.
Collaboration
October 2009
The difference between two parties who compromise or collaborate is huge.
Public Speaking
for Communicators: How do people learn?
September
2009
Teachers are graded on how well their students do, not on what they
know. So to are speakers graded. What will the audience remember from
your talk?
Informative or
Just Eye Candy?
August 2009
Many professional communicators see the visual as a “hook” for the written
story. Using visuals as “eye candy” can make the reader stop and, at
least, start to read the article.
Do Your Photos
Provide Context For Your Subject?
July 2009
Just because it is a photo, doesn't mean it is worth 10,000 words. Many
photos have impact and can get your attention, but they could do even more.
Social Networking
June 2009
Social Networking is big due to a few things happening around the same time.
My Investment
Advice
May 2009
Photographers need to invest wisely and I have a thought about it.
What about the
audience
April 2009
As professional communicators we usually determined who our audience
is, but have we considered how the how they learn.
Teaching is a
great way to learn
March 2009
I am reminded each time I teach that this is a great way to get better at
this craft.
The Psychology of
the Telephoto Lens
February 2009
“What I need is a telephoto lens.” We’ve all said this. The
professional photographer reaches for the lens for many reasons.
The Psychology of
the Wide-Angle Lens
January 2009
Some folks choose a telephoto lens to see how close a subject can appear to
be - to say a bear, for instance. These same people doubtlessly chose a
wide-angle lens so they can get-it-all-in the picture, usually a landscape
picture.
M-Audio Microtrack II
This recorder lets you record in WAV or MP3
recording to compact flash card.
Looking
for Microphone
Transom.org did a handheld microphone
shootout where they did comparisons. They let you listen to an audio sample
from each one.
Think Tank
The Multimedia Wired Up Collection, is
comprised of four belt-mountable pouches and two beltpacks that all share a
common design goal: to tame the wires tangling up the stills shooter tasked
with gathering sound and moving pictures too.
Nikon
I have always used
Nikon cameras and lenses through my career. They have a great line of cameras and lenses for any job.
http://www.StanleyLeary.com
Stanley@stanleyleary.com |
"The magazine that is going to publish my pictures says the images must be at least 300 ppi. How do I change the resolution to 300 ppi?"
I’m asked this question a lot and it is based on a misunderstanding that I hope we can clear up in this newsletter.
First of all, it is rare that you need to do anything. They are requesting an image with a resolution of 300 ppi when printed to a specific size. A request for a 300 ppi or any ppi without any associated width and height dimensions of the print it is nonsense. The dimensions of the print need to be know.
The Formula:
Width x 300 = a
Height x 300 = b
Multiply a times b to determine the minimum size mega pixel camera needed to make the photo.
Here’s an example for an 8 x 10 inch print. Width 8 x 300 ppi = 2400. Height 10 x 300 ppi = 3000.
You need an image of at least 2400 x 3000 pixels. Multiply 2400 x 3000 = 7,200,000 or 7.2 mega pixels.
Now we know the minimum size mega pixel camera that’s needed, but how do we change resolution? Photoshop to the rescue…. again.
The dialogue to change the ppi-number in Photoshop is Image->Image Size. When you choose it, you get a dialogue box like the one shown Example 1. Be sure the Resample Image checkbox is left unchecked. This prevents accidentally throwing away pixels that will diminish the quality of the image.
The Image Size box is a resolution calculator. Your camera manufacturer has a default setting. It may be set at 72 ppi or something else. In this example the default setting is 240. Remember you can change this to 300 ppi and it will then tell you the maximum size print you can make with this image. As long as the Resample Image checkbox is unchecked you will not accidentally damage your image.
Take a look at Example 2. Here you can see that the Resample Image box is unchecked and the Resolution was changed to 300 ppi. Note: the Width and Height remain the same in Pixel Dimensions. The actual image didn’t change. You now have a calculator that tells you the size print you can make at any ppi.
There are many different output devices. Let’s look at printers. Canon and HP desktop inkjets are usually optimized at 600 ppi, for Epson it is 720 ppi. The Fuji Frontier, used in many minilabs, is usually optimized for 300 ppi, some laser jet printers offer a choice between 200 ppi and 400 ppi. You should refer to the manufacturer’s specifications or ask the lab to determine the optimum resolution for a specific printer.
You need to know the optimum ppi for your printer to determine the largest size print you can make. Just be sure the size image is not larger than your printer’s quality capabilities. You want it large enough, but there is a slight chance it can be too big.
An often forgotten aspect of quality prints is the distance from which the prints will normally be viewed.
The viewing distance changes everything. You do not need a 300 ppi image to produce a billboard. Actually you only need about 6000 total pixels for a Billboard.
Use the chart below to help you in making display prints for trade shows or other places you need extremely large images.
Determining PPI by Viewing Distance
To determine an optimal PPI (resolution in Photoshop) for a photo the calculation is as follows:
7000 / viewing distance in inches = PPI
This is for optimal results. Using half that number will still provide good quality results. Any lower and you will begin to sacrifice image quality.
A Quick Chart for Determining PPI by Viewing Distance
Under 24 inches = 300 PPI
24" to 36" = 200 PPI
36" to 60" = 120 PPI
5' to 10' = 60 PPI
10' to 20' = 30 PPI
Billboard = 10 to 20 PPI
I hope this bit of information about ppi, image size, viewing distance and printer capabilities has been of use to you.
Nothing is EVER simple, right? |
Information about Stanley